Prior patents have been granted for devices that control lighting parameters for applications in the entertainment and decorative lighting fields. These patents describe methods for controlling the amount and/or duration of power applied to vary the brightness or intensity and the ON/OFF time of a light bulb or string of light bulbs. Both electronic and electro-mechanical (motor driven cam) methods have been utilized to control the ON/OFF time and intensity for the subject lighting applications. The previous patents in the decorative or entertainment lighting field that deal with controllers, sequencers, flashers, and dimmers can be divided into two categories: programmable sequences, and fixed or selected sequences.
Prior patents that fall into the programmable sequence category, have been granted for sophisticated stage and entertainment lighting systems. The high end controller, in this category, is capable of complex control of several hundred lights including: light sequencing, motion, position, intensity, color, pattern, beam size, and audio response. These types of controllers are used in the entertainment and disco club field and generally consist of a plurality of automated lamp units connected to a remote console controller via an intelligent data link system. Systems of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,209,560, and 5,329,431. The low end controller, in this category,, allows limited programming by setting multiple dials and switches or audio input to control the ON/OFF flash rate and intensity of a small number of lights, typically four to six.
The second category contains devices with single or multiple fixed sequences that are predetermined by the manufacturer, and includes electro-mechanical controllers where the ON/OFF sequences are generated by motor driven cams that operate switches to provide the capability of switching high levels of power, required for commercial lighting applications. Lighting intensity control can also be realized by a electro-mechanical device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,926.
Other devices in the fixed or selectable sequence category are described as control units with multiple outlets for connecting lighting sets to be controlled by electronic devices contained inside the base of the unit, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,864. Also included are configurations where the controller and outlet receptacles are molded into the wiring harness as represented in by U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,277. This category also contains controllers for special lighting applications such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,249. In general, the controllers in this category do not include intensity control and use uniformly spaced ON/OFF time intervals. Several of the patents in this category are called "programmable", but actually consist of user selected fixed sequences, with usually either a blinker/flasher or a sequencer but generally not both.
A need has thus arisen for a user programmable sequencing light controller, with the capability of both uniform and non uniform ON/OFF time control and variable intensity control, employing solid-state circuitry, for the control of a plurality of individual sets of series or parallel connected Christmas tree lighting strings or the like which allows the user to create a truly unique, personalized, custom lighting display sequence. Unlike previous devices where the control unit is limited to a predetermined group of fixed patterns, a need has arisen for a controller which provides unlimited flexibility and allows the user to create a near infinite number of unique and personalized lighting displays.